Opinion of the Court
C
Having found the key terms “use” and “in relation to” indeterminate, the next step is to look to their surrounding words. After all, “a statute’s meaning does not always turn solely on the broadest imaginable definitions of its component words.” Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, 584 U. S. ___, ___ (2018) (slip op., at 23) (internal quotation marks omitted). Instead, “[l]inguistic and statutory context also matter.” Ibid. Even in cases where “the literal language of the statute is neutral” in isolation, reading “the whole phrase” can point to a more targeted reading. Marinello v. United States, 584 U. S. ___, ___–___ (2018) (slip op., at 4–5).
Such is the case here. Section 1028A(a)(1)’s title and terms both point to a narrower reading, one centered around the ordinary understanding of identity theft. This cuts against the Government’s broad reading, which the Government admits bears little relationship to the common understanding of identity theft. In contrast, a more targeted reading accurately captures the ordinary understanding of identity theft, where misuse of a means of identification is at the crux of the criminality.
1
Start at the top, with the words Congress chose for §1028A’s title: “Aggravated identity theft.” 118 Stat. 831. This Court has long considered that “ ‘the title of a statute and the heading of a section’ are ‘tools available for the resolution of a doubt’ about the meaning of a statute.” Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U. S. 224, 234 (1998) (quoting Trainmen v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 331 U. S. 519, 528–529 (1947)). A title will not, of course, “override the plain words” of a statute. Fulton v. Philadelphia, 593 U. S. ___, ___ (2021) (slip op., at 9). Yet here, the key terms are so “elastic” that they must be construed “in light of the terms surrounding [them],” Leocal, 543 U. S., at 9, and the
